M23 Rebels Suspend Peace Talks with DR Congo Government
The main rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the M23, has walked away from peace talks with the government, saying it will not return unless the authorities adhere to a previous ceasefire deal. Fighting between the two sides escalated in January, when the M23 captured large parts of the mineral-rich east, including the regional capital Goma. In Qatar last month, the rebels and the government signed a ceasefire agreement, intended as a step towards a permanent peace deal. But on Monday, as negotiations were set to resume, the M23 said its representatives were not present in Qatar. [M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka] accused the authorities of not respecting the provisions contained in the ceasefire deal, but DR Congo’s military denies this charge. Kanyuka alleged that government forces had continued to attack rebel positions, despite the agreement stating that both sides must refrain from assaults. However, the Congolese armed forces accused the M23 of launching attacks almost daily in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. The Qatar peace deal was supposed to be signed by Monday. On Sunday, an unnamed official from Qatar told the AFP news agency that a draft agreement had been shared with DR Congo and the M23. The agreement runs alongside a peace deal between DR Congo and Rwanda, which was brokered by the US in June. BBC
Rebels Kill at Least 52 Civilians in East DR Congo: UN
Rebel fighters have killed at least 52 civilians in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo in recent days, the UN peacekeeping mission in the country said on Monday. Attacks from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) targeted several villages in the North Kivu province between August 9 and 16, the mission, called MONUSCO, said, warning that the toll could go up. After a relative lull in recent months, ADF rebels massacred more than 40 people in a church at the end of July in Komanda, a town in neighbouring Ituri province. The renewed violence comes as a separate conflict between the DRC and the Rwandan-backed M23 group continues to simmer in the east of the country despite a series of peace treaties signed in recent months. The latest ADF “violence was accompanied by kidnappings, looting, the burning of houses, vehicles, and motorcycles, as well as the destruction of property belonging to populations already facing a precarious humanitarian situation,” MONUSCO said. AFP
Sudan’s Army Chief Reshuffles Top Command in First Major Change since War Began
Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has reshuffled the military’s top command, the army said on Monday, in the first major leadership change since the country’s conflict erupted last year. The move comes a day after several senior officers were dismissed and retired, while others were promoted…General Mohamed Osman al-Hussein al-Hassan, who has held the post of chief of the general staff since 2019, will remain in his position for a new term. However, several of his deputies were replaced. The decisions included new appointments for deputy chiefs of staff for logistics, training, administration, and operations, as well as a new head of military intelligence. Burhan also appointed a new Inspector General, Major General Mutasim Abbas al-Tom Ahmed, filling a post that had been vacant since his predecessor was captured by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the first day of the war…The former air force commander, Lieutenant General al-Tahir Mohamed al-Awad al-Amin, was promoted to the rank of general and retired, the statement said. The European Union had previously placed al-Amin under sanctions, accusing him of responsibility for the “indiscriminate aerial bombardment of densely populated residential areas” during the conflict. Sudan Tribune
Rights Groups Urge U.N. to Extend Sudan Atrocities Investigation
Nearly 100 Sudanese and international organizations on Monday urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to extend the mandate of its Sudan fact-finding mission, demanding its findings be sent to the Security Council to ensure accountability for atrocities. In a joint statement ahead of the council’s September session, prominent groups including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the Darfur Bar Association said the mission was critical as Sudan stands “on the brink of collapse.” The organizations called on the council to not only renew the mission’s mandate but also to recommend that its reports be referred to the U.N. Security Council for action. They also urged the Security Council to expand the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) jurisdiction to cover the entire country. The appeal comes as the conflict between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed tens of thousands, displaced over 10 million people, and triggered a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Sudan Tribune
South Sudan Crisis Threatens to Engulf Region: UN
Renewed fighting in South Sudan risks spreading to the wider region against the backdrop of a worsening humanitarian situation, a senior UN official warned on Monday. The country, one of the poorest, has been gripped by renewed violent political instability as 7.7 million of South Sudan’s roughly 12 million people faced high levels of food insecurity between April and July, the United Nations said. With much of the population vulnerable to acute climate shocks and the impact of spillover from neighboring Sudan’s conflict acutely felt, 83,000 people in South Sudan are at risk of “catastrophic conditions.” “There is a concern that the current military posture and ongoing operations will spur more violence and exacerbate inter-communal conflict,” UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Martha Pobee, told the Security Council. “If this trend continues, it will likely lead to a shift in conflict dynamics, from subnational and community-based violence to a more complex landscape shaped by ethnic divisions involving signatory parties and other actors, including those from neighboring countries.” AFP
Togo Tight-lipped As Burkina Jihadists Infiltrate North
Jihadists from Burkina Faso have stepped up their assaults on northern Togo since the beginning of the year, with the Togolese government tight-lipped on their covert infiltration. Keen not to sap the morale of the Togolese soldiers fighting the incursion, the small west African nation’s authorities have offered little in the way of official comment or figures on violence by jihadists, who have gained ground since their first deadly attack in the country in 2022. In a rare admission, Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey recently said Islamist fighters had killed at least 62 people since January — more than double the deaths the government recorded in the whole of 2023. Those losses reflect a surge in jihadist unrest in Togo’s north, at a time when armed fighters are gaining ground across the wider west African region…Togo has deployed around 8,000 soldiers to the affected region, while the defence budget ballooned from 8.7 percent of GDP in 2017 to 17.5 percent in 2022, according to Foreign Minister Dussey. The government has also attempted to improve living conditions for Togolese in the north, through an emergency aid programme launched in 2023. But the situation is unlikely to improve without better coordination on tackling jihadism between countries in a divided west Africa, according to analysts in the region. AFP
Burkina Junta Expels UN Official Over Report on Child Mistreatment
Burkina Faso’s junta on Monday declared the top resident UN official “persona non grata” for a United Nations report which found Burkinabe fighters had violated the rights of children during the country’s conflict against jihadists. Since seizing power in a coup, the Burkinabe military government has placed international organisations and humanitarian bodies under increasing pressure, as the Sahel nation faces a widespread Islamist insurgency. The UN rejected Monday’s declaration…Titled “Children and armed conflict in Burkina Faso”, the report found evidence of violations against minors including “the recruitment and use of children, the killing and maiming of children, rape and other forms of sexual violence against children, attacks on schools, hospitals and protected persons in relation to schools and/or hospitals, the abduction of children and the denial of humanitarian access”. Most of the recorded instances of child recruitment were by the “Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims”, known by its Arabic acronym JNIM, with the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) group also implicated. However the report also found that the defence and security forces, as well as its civilian auxiliaries, the Volunteers for the Defence of the Nation, were responsible for a fifth of the grave violations the UN investigators had registered. AFP
Tanzania Court Bans Live Coverage of Opposition Leader’s Treason Trial
A court in Tanzania on Monday banned the live coverage of treason proceedings against the East African nation’s main opposition leader, Tundu Lissu, who criticised the decision…Lissu had already opposed the request saying that such an order would allow the court to operate in “darkness” and prevent his supporters from following the case. Officials from his CHADEMA party also criticised the court’s order. “Justice must be done and be seen to be done,” Lissu, who is representing himself after dismissing his attorneys, said last week. Lissu is the leader of Tanzania’s biggest opposition party and has been in detention since early April after he was charged with treason and publication of false information…His detention and unexplained abductions of government critics in recent months have shone a spotlight on the human rights record of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who says her government is committed to respecting human rights. Hassan is running for the presidency for the first time after assuming office following the death of her predecessor John Magufuli in 2021. Reuters
Japan Pushes to Reinvigorate Its Africa-centric TICAD Summit
The Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) returns to Japan this year, following the three-year rotation in place since 2016 between an African host and the Japanese archipelago. This year’s summit will once again take place in Yokohama, the port-industrial metropolis where, in 2019, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made bold promises, including deeper private sector involvement in Africa and joint efforts with African nations to reform the UN Security Council…Six years on, however, progress has largely stalled. Japan remains active in New York, pushing for permanent seats on the Security Council for itself and Africa, but with no results to show. Meanwhile, Japanese businesses have failed to rally behind the state’s Africa ambitions…Japan’s Africa policy is no longer dictated by what China does. ‘Tokyo understands it cannot compete with Beijing on African soil using the same tools,’ says [Sayoko Uesu, a political scientist in Tokyo]. Instead, it now positions itself as an alternative, emphasising its principles: Adherence to international financing standards, support for good governance, and respect for democratic values…On the economic front, Japan is also helping African countries avoid sovereign defaults and build tax autonomy. On the security front – where it has traditionally kept a low profile – it launched a maritime assistance framework in the Indian Ocean in 2023 that includes military hardware provision…Japanese firms have been slower than hoped to commit to Africa, but Tokyo still sees private investment as key to its influence. The Africa Report
Minister Raises Alarm over Hunger, Flood Displacement in Nigeria
The Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Tanko Sununu, says Nigeria is facing a worsening humanitarian emergency, with more than three million people internally displaced by flooding, insecurity, and other disasters…Mr Sununu spoke on Monday at the inauguration of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Flood Management and Response…In his remarks, the chairman of the newly constituted committee, Maidala Balami, described flooding as a “national emergency” that requires urgent, coordinated, and strategic solutions…“The time for piecemeal approaches is over. What we need is a comprehensive national framework one that encompasses prevention, early warning systems, emergency response, community resilience, infrastructure development, and climate adaptation strategies.” He pledged that the committee would investigate the root causes, assess agency preparedness, consult stakeholders, and propose lasting measures to mitigate the impact of flooding across Nigeria. Premium Times
EZEMA, Media Association Demand Disclosure of Whereabouts of Two Disappeared Journalists amid Ethiopia’s Shrinking Press Freedom
The Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice (EZEMA) party and the Ethiopian Media Professionals Association (EMPA) have urged the government to disclose the whereabouts of two journalists, Abdulsemed Mohammed and Yonas Amare, who they allege were taken in an “extra-legal manner.” Abdulsemed, host of the program Kidame Gebeya on Ahadu Radio 94.3, was reportedly apprehended on 12 August, in the Haile Garment area of Addis Abeba by unidentified individuals. Four days later, security forces allegedly raided his office, leading to reports that government forces were responsible for his disappearance. Similarly, Yonas, a journalist with Reporter newspaper, was reportedly taken from his home in the Koye Feche condominium area of Sheger City on the night of 14 August by masked individuals, according to local security guards…In a statement issued on 17 August EZEMA accused authorities of undermining media freedom through unlawful actions. “Among those who are acting improperly beyond their authority or breaking the law, government authorities are the main ones harassing the media, which is crucial for building a democratic system, in various illegal ways,” the party said. Addis Standard